Toggle-socket.



W. I. NEWTON.

TOGGLE SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAR IZ, I9I8- Patented Apr. 29, 1919) 2 SHEETSSHEET l- I I I IIIIIIH'II ATTORNEY W. J. NEWTON.

TOGGLE SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12. 1918.

1 802A 1 5 Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

2 SHEETS.-SHEET 2.

i 1" H IIII 1 am m UNTTE STATES PATENT @EETQE.

WILLIAM J. NEWTON, OF BRID GEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T HARVEY HUBBELL, INCORPORATED, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

I TOGGLE-SOCKET.

11,3OEAJL5.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. aaiaie.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. NEWTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfiel-d, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Toggle-Sockets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive socket mechanism of the double break single pole type, constructed on the toggle principle and controlled by a compression spring, thus insuring an extremely quick make and break in operation.

With these and other objects in view, I have devised the novel toggle socket of which the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing is a specification, reference characters being used to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my novel socket as in use;

Fig. 2 a view on a greatly enlarged scale, partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating the construction and operation of one form of my novelsocket mechanism; I

. Fig. 3 a section on the line 33 in Fig. 2, looking down;

Fig. 4 a section on the line 4'4 in Fig. 2, looking up;

Fig, '5 a detail sectional view on the line 5-5 in Fig. 3, looking toward the right;

Fig. '6 a side elevation, partly broken away, illustrating another form of my novel socket mechanism, the socket shell appearing in dotted lines only;

Fig. 7 a view corresponding therewith, as seen from the opposite side;

Fig. 8 a section on the line 8-8 in Fig. 6, looking down;

Fig. 9 a section on the line 9-10 in Fig. 6, looking up; w

Fig. 10 a section on the line 910 in Fig. 6, looking down, and

Fig. '11 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale, showing more clearly the operative parts.

I will first describe the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5' inclusive. 10 denotes the socket shell, 11 the screw shell, 12 insulation between the socket shell and the screw shell, 13 the center contact, 14 an insulating block secured to the screw shell, by which the operative parts are carried, and 15 and 16 contact plates secured to the insulating block. An-extension 17 of contact plate 15 extends through a hole 18 in the insulating block, then under the blockto which it is secured by a screw 19 which also secures the center contact in place. Contact plate 16 is provided with an extension 20 which liesupon the insulating block and is secured in place by a screw 21 which also passes through and secures a plate 22 which carries a binding post 23 and binding screw 24. Plate 22 overlies extension 20 and retains it securely in place. 25 denotes'the other bind- 1ng screw which is carried by a plate 26 which lies in a recess 27 in the side of the insulating block, and extends through said block and through the screwshell, the inner end of said plate being bent under the screw shell and retained in place by a screw 28 which also passes through the screw shell. The other side of the screw shell is secured to the insulating block by screw 29.

The course of the current is from binding screw 25 through plate 26 and the screw shell to the lamp, not shown, and from the lamp through the center contact to extension 17 and contact plate 15, and from contact plate 16 through extension 20, plate 22 and binding posts 23 to bindin screw 24.

The circuit is closed etween contact plates 15 and 16 by means of a contact 30 which is carried by, .but insulated from a U-shaped contact member 31, the arms of which are pivoted to the arms of a frame 32 which is secured to the insulating block by a screw 33. In the present instance the arms of the contact member are shown as pivoted on lugs 34 formed from the metal of the frame. Stop lugs 35 and 36, likewise formed from the metal of the frame, limit respectively the upward and downward movement-s of the contact member. Stop lugs 36 correspond with stop lugs 35, see Fig. 2, in which one of the stop lugs 36 appears in dotted lines. 37 denotes the operating lever which is pivoted on a pin 38 in the frame, being centered thereon by v washers 39.

The toggle consists of the inner arm of the operating lever and an operating arm .40 which may be made of metal and is provided with a head 41 having a notch to receive a cross pin'42 in a slot in the inner end 01"? the operating lever. crating arm passes through corresponding The other end of the op-- holes in the cross piece of the contact memher, through contact 30,'its insulation, and through a clamp 43 which secures the con tact and the insulation to the contact mem her. I In order to effectually insulate the operating arm from the contact, the hole through the latter is made considerably larger than the holes through the clamp and the insulation. 44 denotes a relatively strong coil spring which surrounds the operating arm and the ends of which bear respectively against the head of said arm and the contact member. Contact 30 is provided with wings 45 bent at an angle thereto and adapted to engage contact plates 15 and 16 with a wipe and prolong the electrical connection. 46 denotes insulating material be tween the contact member and the contact and clamp 43. The clamp,'which secures the contact and the insulation to the contact member, is provided on its inner side with an angle piece 47 which forms a bearing for the spring, a washer 48 being preferably interposed between the end of the spring and the angle piece. When the contact member is in the circuit closing position, as in Fig. 2, the washer will lie in engagement with the upper face of the angle piece. As the contact member is swung toward the open circuit position, as indicated by dotted lines in' Fig. 2, the washer will pass over the apex of the angle piece and the instant it passes the apex will bear against the lower face of the angle piece and act instantly to throw the contact member to the open circuit posi-- tion. The current will then pass to contact plate 16 and through extension 20, plate 22 and binding post 23 to binding screw 24.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 5, the parts are shown in the circuit closing position in which position the contact member is stopped by engagement with the lower pair of stop lugs on the bracket. Movement of the operating lever from the full line position shown to the reverse position, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, will swing the contact member upward against the power of the spring, the outer end of the operating arm sliding through the correspondin holes in the contact member, the champ-the contact and the insulation, the action of the spring being upon the angle piece. The opening or closing movement is performed by movement of the operating lever until the operating arm and the pivot of the operating lever are in alinement and washer 48 is balanced upon the apex of the angle piece. An instant later, the compression of the spring will act to swing the contact member to the other extreme of its movement with a snap and thus open the circuit, the contact member being stopped in this position by engagement with the upper pair of stop lugs. In practice, contact 30 will remain in electrical connection with contact plates 15 and 16 upon the insulating block until the toggle has passed its dead center, and likewise in the circuit closing movement, the circuit will remain open until the toggle swings past its dead center. In either movement, the instant the toggle swings past its dead center, the spring will act to instantly throw the contact member to its reverse position with a snap.

The form illustrated in Figs. 6 to 11 inclusive differs from the form just described, in that the operative parts are carried by two insulating blocks, neither of which is attached to the socket shell, the contact plates being attached to the upper insulating block, the movements of the operating lever in opening and closing the circuit are the reverse of the movements in the other form, and the operatin lever is made of insulating material, which avoids the necessity for insulatin the contact carried by the contact member from the operating lever.

49 and 50 denote respectively the upper and lower insulating blocks, which are connected together by brackets or posts 51, 52 and53, all of which are in the circuit, and the last two of which are binding' posts. The term upper and lower, as applied to the insulating blocks, are used for identification only, as it is of course immaterial in what position the socket is placed in use. 54 and 55- denote the contact plates, contact plate 54 being formed integral with a strip 56 which is recessed into the upper insulating block and is secured thereto by a screw 57 which also secures post 51 'to said block. Contact plate 55 is provided with a strip 58, which is likewise recessed into the upper insulating block and is secured thereto by a screw 59 which also secures binding post 52 to said block. -Binding post 53 is secured to the upper insulating block by a screw 60. Bracket or post 51 is secured to the lower insulating block by a screw 61, which also secures one side of screw shell 68-to the other side of said block. Binding post 52 is secured to the lower insulating block by a screw 62, and binding post 53 is secured to the lower insulating block by a screw 63 which also secures a strip 64 to said block.

This strip is recessed into the block and extends g inward to the center thereof, where it is turned downward into a deeper recess in said block, the end of said strip being turned horizontally to the block and lying under a nut 65, which is-engaged by the center screw 66 and secures the center contact 67 to the lower insulating block. Screw shell 68 is additionally secured to the lower insulating block by screw 69 which engages a nut 7 O recessed into the upper side of said block. Binding post 52 carries a binding screw 71 and blnding post 53 carries a bindin screw 72. I

- The course of the current is from binding ill screw 71 and binding post 52 through strip 58 to contact plate 55, and from contact plate 54, strip 56, bracket or post 51 and screw 61 to the screw shell, through the screw shell to the lamp, not shown, and from the lamp through the center contact, center screw 66 and strip 64 to binding post 53 and binding screw 72. p

. The circuit is closed between contact plates 54 and 55 by means of a contact member 73, the arms of which are pivoted to the arms of an inverted U-shaped frame 74, which is secured to the upper insulating block by a screw 75. In use the sides of the contact member engage contact plates 54 and 55 with a wipe and prolong the electrical connection. At the outer end of the contact member and bearing upon the cross piece thereof is an angle piece 84. As an aid in positioning and to retain it against displacement, the frame is preferably provided with a struck out lug 76 which engages a hole in the upper insulating block. In the present instance the arms of the contact member are provided with lugs 77 which engage holes in the sides of the frame. 78 denotes the operating lever which is of insulating material and is pivoted on a pin 79in the frame.-

The toggle consists as before of the inner arm of the operating lever and an operating- I arm 80 provided with a head 81 which is pivoted in a yoke 82 on the inner end of the operating lever. The other end of the operating arm is passed through a hole 83 in the cross piece of the contact member and through a similar hole in angle piece 84. 85 denotes a relatively strong coil spring which surrounds the operating arm and the ends of which bear respectively against the head of said arm and the angle piece. The angle of angle piece 84 forms a bearing for the spring, a washer 86 being preferably interposed between the end of the spring and the angle piece. When the contact member is in the circuit closing position, the washer will lie in engagement with the under face of the angle piece. As the contact member is wung to the open circui t position, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 11, the washer will pass over theapex of the angle piece and the instant it passes the apex will bear against the upper faceof the angle piece and act to instantly throw the contact member to the circuit closing position. The current will then pass to contact plate 54 and through the several Connections, as described, to binding post 53 and binding screw 72.

As a means for limiting the movement of the contact member in each direction,'I provide the arms of said member with struck out stop lugs 87- which are adapted to en- 'gage shoulders 88 on the frame inthe circuit closing position, and to engage Walls 89 of the frame in the circuit opening position. As a means for limiting the movement of the operating lever in each direction, I provide cross pins 90 in the frame, one of which is engaged by the operating lever in the circuit closing movement and the other in the circuit opening movement.

In the drawing, the parts are shown in full lines in the circuit closing position, and the circuit opening position of the contact member is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 11.

The circuit opening and closing move ments of the contact member are produced precisely as in the other form. The operating lever is moved until the-operating arm has passed its position of alinement with the pivot of the operating lever. Washer 86 will ride up one angle of the angle piece, then pass over the apex of the angle piece, and an instant later will bear upon the other face thereof. The spring, which will have been compressed'until the toggle reaches its dead center, will then act to swing-the contact member to the other extreme of its movement with a snap and thus'open or close the circuit. When the circuit is closed the contact member will remain in electrical connection with contact plates 54 and 55 until the toggle, in the opening movement, has passed its dead center, and likewise in the circuit closing movement, the circuit will remain open until the toggle has been swung past its dead center. In either movement, the instant the toggle swings past its dead center, the spring will actuate the contact member with a snap. p

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a socket, in combination, a swinging contact member, an operating lever, an operating arm pivoted to the operating lever and passing through the free end of the contact member, said operating lever and operating arm comprising a toggle, an angle piece on the contact member, and a compression spring adapted to bear on either angle of the angle piece to swing the contact member to either extreme of its movement when the toggle is swung past its dead center.

2. In a socket, the combination of an insulating block, contacts thereon, an operating lever, a pivoted contact member, an insulated contact on said member, a clamp securlng said contact and the insulation to the contact member and provided on its inner side with an angle piece, and operating arm I passing through the free end of thecontact member and having a head pivotally connected to the operating lever, and a spring bearing against the head of the operating arm and against the angle piece.

3. In a socket, the combination of an insulating block, contacts thereon, an operating lever, a pivoted contact member, an insulated contact on said member, a clamp securing said contact and the insulation to the contact member and provided on its inner side with an angle piece, an operating arm passing through the free end of the contact member and having ahead pivotally connected to'the operating lever, a Washer on reoaaia ed to .pass over the apex of the angle piece and engage eitherangle thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM J. NEWT-ON 

